About Paradise Cove

Paradise Cove is a kelp-and-rock reef off Santa Monica, California, sitting on a mid-exposure stretch of coast where the bottom runs from about 20 to 60 feet. California Halibut and White Seabass anchor the spring calendar, both peaking March through July, while Calico Bass and California Sheephead build through the warmer months from April into September. The rock structure and kelp also hold Barred Sand Bass, Leopard Shark, and California Barracuda into the summer, with Kelp Greenling taking over as the reef fish of choice from August through November. Anglers drift live anchovies or sardines across the reef edges for halibut and sand bass, and work swimbaits and soft plastic grubs into the kelp for Calico Bass holding tight to the rock. White Seabass respond to live squid over the same structure, while sheephead come off the bottom on squid, cut mackerel, and live shrimp fished down among the reef.